


Tragedy and Pragmatism

by UndertaleThingem



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Not Beta Read, Pre-Undertale, Undertale Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 18:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8337502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndertaleThingem/pseuds/UndertaleThingem
Summary: Plans made by children have gone awry.
Asgore charges Gaster with saving what he can.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little character exploration, I guess.

A series of sharp raps on his door jolted Gaster from his thoughts. Lowering a brow, he rose from his workbench and tugged at his coat, grumbling under his breath. He’d made it clear he didn’t want to be disturbed, he was working on something important didn’t they understand? He was about to make it very clear that—

He whipped the door open to find a member of the Royal Guard almost doubled over panting, and any thoughts of chewing them out vanished. He extended a hand to steady them, and let them catch their breath before relaying whatever news had brought them to his study. When they’d sufficiently rested, they began.

“Sir, the King requests your presence at once. He has an assignment for you,” the guard relayed, their voice trembling as they spoke. “I cannot say more than that, for there is nothing more I know.”

“I see,” Gaster intoned. “Where may I find him?”

“In the throne room. Please, make haste sir. If it pleases you, I’ll guard your quarters until your return, but you must go, as quickly as you can,” the guard urged, stepping aside for the scientist.

“Yes, thank you. Your vigilance shall not go unrewarded,” Gaster promised as he headed out. He strode down the street, and took one last glance to see the guard had closed his door for him and was standing at attention by it, true to their word. And then, he heaved a deep breath, and ran.

The urgency in the guard’s voice had been mixed with barely hidden grief, and the state of their face revealed they’d been crying until probably only moments ago. It didn’t take a genius to put together something terrible had happened, but of course, Gaster _was_ a genius. He reviewed the spells he might need as he ran—a check carefully honed into a probe, soul magic that restricted movement, semi-solid phantom hands made of pure magic that did anything he commanded. He’d examined the fallen child several days into their illness and cursed his limitations. He knew chemistry extensively, and had studied non-monster biology, but not enough of either to ease the human’s illness that ate at them from the inside out. He just wasn’t that kind of doctor… but even if he could have saved them, it was simply delaying an inevitable fate.

The streets of New Home were oddly empty for this time of day; it was eventide and even though things were usually winding down there were always a few taverns still filled with song and families out for a stroll in the pleasantly cool air. But instead of songs and rowdy laughter, or gentle conversations, Gaster heard lamentation. The Royal Guard who’d come for him was clearly not the only monster devastated by the details of what had happened, which Gaster knew he’d find out soon enough. Friends had arms draped over one another’s shoulders as they consoled one another, a mother’s children clung to her as she wept openly on their front stair; as Gaster darted by, he tried not to think about the poor fellow he’d glimpsed laying down in a narrow alley.

By the time Gaster reached the castle entrance, dread had settled tight and heavy in his ribcage. The guards saluted, uncrossing their pikes to let him through, only to brandish them as a desperate monster tried to dash in behind him. Gaster whirled on his heels at the action, and watched for only a moment as the poor guards tried to reason with the distraught interloper. They were yelling something about the prince.

Gaster grit his teeth and went on, navigating the stronghold’s corridors with ease and wishing this latest visit was under better circumstances. He liked the Dreemurrs well enough—they were good people, loyal and kind, always acting with their subjects’ best interests at heart—until this human had fallen into the old castle. Perhaps had they not been a child, or found by someone other than the prince, then there would not be this… situation.

Gaster shook his head. He was as caring as any other monster, but he couldn’t find it in him to extend that to the species responsible for untold suffering. Perhaps it was selfish of him—this particular human hadn’t been involved in the war, and wasn’t to blame for stealing away his chance to study the universe, or his status as a much rarer kind of monster. They were still an heir to the prejudice and power that had led to monster kind being relegated to the shadows, and that was something that couldn’t be ignored. The few years the human had spent with monster kind had been promising, but Gaster’d always had a sense it wouldn’t end well. He’d never brought his reservations up to the monarchs, but amidst all the trepidation now he couldn’t help but feel a grim ‘I told you so’ as he made his way to the throne room.

He reached the door, and drew a short breath as he steeled himself for whatever awaited him before stepping in. Aside from the pair of gilded thrones, the room had always been modestly furnished, with only a few banners of the royal crest decorating the stone walls, and a simple wooden floor ran over what would otherwise be cold stone. A chandelier held orbs of magic, casting the room in a pale white light and a pall on the large, violet-cloaked figure at its center. Gaster approached slowly, and the figure shifted.

“I do not know how long I can hold it,” Asgore stated wearily. His voice was rough, as if he too had been crying until not long ago, and he turned to face the scientist as though the mountain they were trapped under rested solely on his shoulders. His hands were cupped loosely around something that gave off a soft red light. Even without ever seeing one, Gaster knew what it was.

His eyes darted from the object in his ruler’s grasp to his bleary gaze. “You think it unwise to… absorb it?”

Asgore coughed. “Please, my friend. I have lost both my children in one day. Now is hardly the time to become a god and repeat such foolishness.”

Gaster gaped, then brought a hand to his mouth as the king’s words sank in. Both? _Both?!_ Oh, yes, the human’s days had been numbered from the start, but the prince—sweet little Asriel, the beloved son, the future of monster kind? Gaster’s gaze fell to the floor, and realized the human’s body still lay there behind Asgore, their limbs set at broken angles. But coating them, and spread out in a short radius in the center of the room, was a fine layer of silvery dust. Gaster supposed if he had a stomach he might’ve been sick to it, but instead, a terrible dizziness swam through his magic. Teeth grit and fists clenched, he waited for the sensation to pass—the last thing Asgore needed was his top scientist fainting on him.

“F… forgive me, sir. I was not… I wasn’t aware of the circumstances. I am deeply sorry…”

Asgore smiled wistfully. “Do not worry, my friend, it does not surprise me knowing how you stay cooped up with your studies. You, too, are only thinking of our people. Toriel and I discussed this, and—and we both concluded that it would be best to find a way to save—t-this soul… for the future. We could not save our son, but… we can save this. Their sacrifice cannot be in vain. Surely you understand?”

Gaster sighed, and nodded faintly. Asgore was as sentimental as they came, but even he knew a human soul was a resource too valuable to let go. As king, he couldn’t afford anything but pragmatism. “It would be a shame indeed to… let this slip by. How long, by your best estimation, can you hold it there?”

“Hm… it will be no small task. The most I can guess is two days. Do you have something in mind?”

Gaster couldn’t help but grin. “Of course.”

Asgore lightened up himself, relieved. “Oh, wonderful. Truly you are a blessing to us, Gaster. I do not know where we’d be without your intellect.”

“The praise is appreciated, sir,” Gaster replied, dipping his head, “but I am merely blessed with an insatiable curiosity about the world and the chance to put it to good use. Provided everything works correctly, I can have some kind of container devised by tonight.”

Asgore blinked in shock. “Tonight? That is hardly any time at all. What are you planning?”

“It’s simple really,” Gaster began. “All we need is a container with some means of generating a self-sustaining magical retention field spell. I’ve done a little work on the matter already and this is a fine chance to refine my understanding of the subject, as well as conduct the first observations of a human soul. The potential progress is substantial if I can learn even an iota of how it—”

“Gaster…” Asgore warned. “Please… focus on the container. Our… priority is ensuring we do not lose more than we already have.”

“Yes, of course, forgive me again. My curiosity so easily runs away with me,” Gaster replied quickly, ashamed. “I’ll get to work right away, my lord.”

“Many thanks, my friend. I shall see you tomorrow.”

Dismissed, Gaster swept from the room and pondered the situation as he headed back. The king had a difficult vigil ahead of him, but he wouldn’t be alone in this. The queen was attentive and caring, and wouldn’t let her husband suffer in solitude, and there were the various aides and guards stationed at the castle at all times. They would be fine. Gaster, though confident he’d pull through, had only himself to rely on and there was no time to lose. He sped through the somber streets of New Home wordlessly, gaze on the road ahead but not really seeing as calculations and configurations danced in his mind’s eye. He reached the small studio that served as both a home and his lab, gave the guard who’d watched over it his thanks and a handful of gold, and got to work.

Scrolls bounced to the floor as Gaster reached for fresh paper and quills, and he scooped up his current project and set it on an already hazardous stack on another table. He gathered the few spare parts he had, laid them out on the table, and began sketching blueprints with a confidence that betrayed how much thought he’d put into the design already. It was well past midnight when he actually began construction, but Gaster wasn’t interested in rest when he had a problem to solve.

Asgore blinked weary eyes in surprise. He hadn’t expected to be presented with a hollow block of glass the next morning, but here it was in his royal scientist’s hands. It didn’t look like much—but Gaster’s inventions had always been clever and neat in their structure. There was much more to the glass capped by clockwork on both ends, he was sure of it.

“You… have done it?”

“Yes. It’s far from perfect, but it should do for the time being,” Gaster replied, seeming disappointed in himself.

“No need to be modest. I have full confidence in you,” Asgore said. “Shall we see if it works?”

Gaster gave him a nervous look, but pulled one cap off and slowly approached. Under Asgore’s watchful eye, he delicately slid the luminous soul inside before capping the block again and charging its mechanism with a little magic. There was a soft ‘ding’, and a crystal embedded in the metal lid began shining; Asgore seemed entranced as he stared in awe, but then the wonder in his eyes faded to sadness.

“What a sorry fate. To think all I have left of my children…” he trailed, taking the container gently as Gaster laid it in his hands. He cradled it for a while before speaking again. “How long will this last? I know the magic in our lamps here need recharging every few days, and this seems much the same.”

“You are correct, sir. But this only needs charging every few weeks—or, it should, so long as the calculations I made are accurate. Even so, I already intend to make an improved design,” Gaster explained, and the king nodded.

“Good, good. If it is alright… I would like to keep it here, in the castle. This was their home, and so shall it stay.”

“That would seem the wisest course of action. I fear if I kept it, someone would try to steal it— my home is only safe enough for my instruments. Though they are priceless to me, few other monsters see the value in them. A soul is another story entirely,” Gaster advised, folding his hands behind his back.

“It troubles me to imagine such a thing, but desperation has driven many an unthinkable act. Perhaps you should be my royal adviser, Gaster, and not my royal scientist,” Asgore teased, and the two chuckled.

“I am far from curious enough about other peoples’ affairs to be that nosy. It was never meant to be anyway, seeing as I lack a nose in the first place,” Gaster replied, and the king burst out laughing hard enough Gaster worried he’d drop the soul. Still, it was clear a joke was just the thing he’d needed after so much grief.

“Yes, yes, I see that now,” he chuckled. “Well, I cannot thank you enough, but I suppose you have work you wish to return to. I have… many affairs of my own to attend, though Tori has done much in my stead. I fear for the kingdom, Gaster, but… with everyone’s help, we may survive even this.”

“As you know, I’ll help in whatever way I can,” the scientist offered, and Asgore smiled gratefully.

“I am confident you will do much to give us hope. You have already restored mine.”

“Thank you, sir.” Gaster bowed his head, and excused himself. He walked home slowly, turning over every detail of the conversations and events of the last day or so. He was well aware of what his title as royal scientist entailed, but it had never been more apparent he was working for more than just his own curiosity or even for the royal family. As he passed through streets still dotted by mourning monsters, it reinforced the fact an entire civilization needed him to succeed.

He resolved to do whatever it took.

**Author's Note:**

> I might write a followup or two to this, but we'll see. Thanks for reading!


End file.
